In this file picture taken on July 20, 2012 UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan looks on before a meeting at his office at the United Nations Offices in Geneva. Kofi Annan is quitting as UN-Arab League peace envoy for Syria, UN leader Ban Ki-moon announced on August 2, 2012, as the civil war spiralled further out of control. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Kofi Annan has decided that his "Mission Impossible" in Syria was exactly that.

The former United Nations secretary general announced Thursday he is relinquishing at month's end his role as special envoy to Syria — admitting the failure of six months of efforts to diplomatically diffuse a violent descent into civil war.

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Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Annan called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, but also placed much of the blame on "a clear lack of unity" in the UN Security Council.

"Things fell apart in New York," he said, referring to the international organization's seat, according to the AP.

"The increasing militarization on the ground and the clear lack of unity in the Security Council have fundamentally changed the circumstances for the effective exercise of my role."

In February, as the popular uprising against Assad's heavy-handed rule neared the one-year mark, the UN and Arab League named Annan to the post — which, in his words, "some called 'Mission Impossible.' "

Russia and China — two of five nations on the Security Council with veto power — balked at imposing tough measures, like international sanctions, on Assad's regime. Three times Russia vetoed such measures, while the U.S., U.K. and France — the other three nations with a UN veto — could not break the impasse.

Despite international condemnation for allegedly having his army use heavy weapons against civilians, Assad was emboldened, and ignored an Annan-brokered ceasefire in April. The opposition, predicting Assad's play, also refused to disarm.

The fighting has since raged on unchecked, claiming an estimated 19,000 lives, leading to videotaped atrocities, and spurring reports Thursday that the opposition captured a government tank and used it to open fire on a military airfield.

"The bloodshed continues," Annan made clear, "most of all because of the Syrian government's intransigence."

On Thursday, Arab countries dropped two key demands from a resolution that the UN General Assembly was scheduled to bring to a vote Friday — one, a call for Assad to give up power; two, a request for sanctions.

Annan's decision, and the further weakening of the UN's diplomatic stance, came a day after Reuters reported that President Obama signed a "secret" order for the CIA and other American agencies to aid the opposition.

With that in mind, Alexei Pushkov, head of the foreign affairs committee in Russia's lower house of Parliament, said Annan should point the finger at America. "Regrettably, the so-called Friends of Syria, led by the United States, have encouraged the opposition, and sought to put pressure only on the Syrian government," he said. "That became the reason behind the failure of Annan's plan."